1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network management systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for performing dynamic system control of devices in a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A network management system performs a highly valuable function of automatically monitoring the operations of a network including monitoring of performance, monitoring of operating characteristics of network equipment such as occurrences of failures, and monitoring of traffic levels on the network. Many proprietary network systems have been made available including Hewlett-Packard's Openview, IBM's Netview, Cabletron's Spectrum, Sun Microsystem's NetManager, and Tandem's Distributed Systems Management (DSM). Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) has developed both an Enterprise Management Architecture (EMA) and a Digital Network Architecture (DNA). Most recently, network management systems have evolved toward distributed processing environments.
Network management systems, particularly distributed systems, must communicate to monitor and control the network. Several network communication protocols have been developed to supply communication capabilities. One protocol is a simple network management protocol (SNMP) which is developed for usage in a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) community. Another protocol is a common management information protocol (CMIP) which is developed for usage in an ISO/OSI (International Standards Organization/Open Systems Interconnection) community.
One problem with network management systems is that various devices connected on a network communicate using different message formats so that intercommunication between devices is difficult or impossible. Conventionally proprietary protocols, proprietary applications, and custom interfaces have been developed to allow networks to read and understand particular message formats. The failure to provide consistent communications for messages has led to a difficulty in implementing any type of universal system administration or network administration and even less support for particular applications and critical system elements.
System and network administration systems generally require a substantial amount of programming support. In many organizations, programming resources are not abundant. What is needed is a network administration system that facilitates system control operations and supports powerful system control functions.